Cars speed through flashing lights in front of Booker T. Washington School

Tuesday

Jan 31, 2012 at 12:01 AMJan 31, 2012 at 5:23 PM

Linda Allbee always gets dirty looks from other drivers as she passes Booker T. Washington Elementary School on Forrest Street. Allbee never lets them intimidate her as she drives to pick up two of her grandchildren at Academy of Dover. When the yellow lights are flashing, everyone is supposed to go 20 miles per hour in a school zone. That’s what she does.

Antonio Prado

THE PROBLEM Linda Allbee always gets dirty looks from other drivers as she passes Booker T. Washington Elementary School on Forrest Street.

Allbee never lets them intimidate her as she drives to pick up two of her grandchildren at Academy of Dover. When the yellow lights are flashing, everyone is supposed to go 20 miles per hour in a school zone. That’s what she does.

“Route 8 is a busy road and I am sure more than a few drivers often exceed the 20 mph speed limit,” he said. “Dover PD regularly has a speed patrol set up at Carver Road or at the fork. Certainly, the more visible traffic patrols are, hopefully the better drivers will obey speed limits.”

WHAT’S BEING SAID “This is not the Dover International Speedway,” Allbee implores. “If they hit a green light and they’re dong 40, 45, they just keep right on going.”

Dover Police Captain Tim Stump said it was ridiculous for someone to travel above 40 mph in these zones with the yellow lights flashing.

“You would hope that the simple fact that there are kids around would slow people down a bit,” he said. “But sometimes you can’t fix stupid.”

Dover Police wrote more than 2,000 tickets for violations that occurred on Forrest Avenue last year, and 1,500 of those were in the vicinity of the schools between Saulsbury Road and the split at Division and Loockerman streets, Stump said. Special Enforcement’s motorcycle units wrote the majority of those tickets in what is a priority area, Stump said. Police handed out 8,200 tickets throughout the city in 2011.

WHAT’S NEXT Allbee wants to see more visible patrols by police in order to deter speeding.

Children’s safety will continue to be a top priority with the Dover Police Department, Stump said.

“The area of Booker T. Washington Elementary School is probably the most routinely targeted area for speed enforcement within the city,” he said.